


Déjà Vu

by RealDaveofDaves



Series: The Maze of Moments - A Clay and Justin Story [6]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Appendicitis, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Caretaker Clay, Crossover, Pain, Stomach Ache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-08 08:03:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15926279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealDaveofDaves/pseuds/RealDaveofDaves
Summary: In which something is seriously wrong with Justin....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bitterblue33](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitterblue33/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Destiny Which Makes Us Brothers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782280) by [Bitterblue33](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitterblue33/pseuds/Bitterblue33). 



> This is inspired by Bitterblue33's "Stomach Flu" and "Chickenpox" chapters, over at her amazing story "A Destiny Which Makes Us Brothers." Which, if you haven't read, you should!
> 
> This takes place during the summer, following "A Maze of Moments - Book One."

_Any type of love, it will be shown,_  
_Like every single tree reached for the sky._  
_If you're gonna fall, I'll let you know_  
_That I will pick you up, like you for I._

\- from "The Adventure," by Angels and Airwaves

 

 

 

One thing about Justin Foley-Jensen was that he rarely, if ever, passed up on an opportunity to eat. Like Snoopy, his stomach clock would go off at regular (or irregular) intervals and times, and demanded some kind of input. It never ceased to amaze Clay that his brother was able to eat whenever, wherever, and regardless of circumstances. So, when Clay came downstairs for breakfast one morning, and saw that Justin was only sipping at some apple juice, and slowly at that, and not making his way through the French toast Matt had prepared, it was unusual to say the least.

"Morning," he said as he sat down.

Lainie smiled at her oldest. "Good morning, honey."

"Morning, kiddo," Matt said from the griddle.

Justin grunted.

"Dude. Not hungry this morning?"

Justin grunted again and shook his head. And winced a little. Which did not go unnoticed by Clay.

"You all right?" he asked, taking a couple of slices and transferring them to his plate.

"My stomach hurts."

"Well, that's what you get for inhaling most of a pizza last night. By yourself. And after dinner."

"Oh, shut up. Be nice to me, I don't feel good.

Clay was now pouring syrup. "Were you bulking for football with Zach?" he teased.

"No, I wasn't." A pained look washed over Justin's face, draining some of his color. "I just...I guess I overdid it. I'll be fine."

"Pretending to be a human garbage disposal?"

"Dude..."

"Okay, okay," Clay chuckled.

Perhaps subconsciously relishing the fact that Justin's eating habits may have caught up to him at last, Clay began to stuff his face in a manner out of character for him. "Well, I hope you learned your lesson," he said through a mouthful of food. "You eat too much, and too fast, too often."

"Speaking of too much and too fast....Clay, slow down, it's not going anywhere." Lainie had a look of revulsion on her face as she admonished him. "Really...your father is making more."

"Sorry, mom."

Justin winced again and rubbed his belly, primarily on his right side. "I think I'm gonna call in to work today....I really don't feel good. That's...like, okay, right?"

Matt had brought two more slices over to the table on a plate, one of which was scooped up by Clay immediately. "You haven't missed a day yet, so I don't see why not. Just take it easy today," he said, sitting down to eat.

Clay made sure to chew what was in his mouth and swallow before responding as well. "I've got evening shift at the theater, so I'll keep you company. We can binge some movies or whatever."

Justin nodded. "May I be excused?  I want to go back upstairs and lay down."

Frowning, Lainie reached over and placed the back of her hand on Justin's forehead. "Hmmm....you're a little warm.....you might have a stomach bug, one of those twenty-four hour things. Go on upstairs and call work, then get back into bed, sweetheart."

Justin nodded again and slowly got up from the table, wincing again. "Yeah...yeah I think I will. Have a good day mom...dad. See you later." He walked out of the kitchen, keeping a hand on his lower stomach, and gingerly made his way back up to his room. The pain alternated between a dull throb and a sharp stab, and radiated around to his lower back. Maybe Clay was right...he _had_ ate quite a bit last night, more than he probably should have, and now he was paying the price for it. But hell, it was summer, there was nothing wrong with overindulging here and there. Besides, they ran together nearly every day, and even though Clay protested mightily, he was coming to the gym to lift with regularity. That was a lot of energy being expended and muscle to build. Food was fuel.

Another sharp pain.

 _Why do I have a temperature, then?_ he thought to himself.

Well. Maybe mom was right. This could just be a stomach thing. There's all kinds of people and kids at the Walplex, maybe he picked something up from one of them, or a co-worker.

Either way, he felt like shit and just wanted to crawl back into bed.

Clay wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and looked at his mother. "I'll keep an eye on him until you both get home. He'll be fine, he just ate too much last night."

"Well, be nice to him regardless," Matt instructed as he cut into his breakfast.

"When am I not?"

"It has been known..."

 

**********

 

Humming happily to himself, Clay finished cleaning up the kitchen after seeing his parents off for the day. He'd spoken to Sheri and made tentative plans for a date night the following evening, and was thinking about which movie or movies he could watch with Justin. Since they had already begun to make their way together through the Marvel series, he decided on Iron Man 3 as a good choice for the morning. Justin decided that Tony Stark was his favorite of the pantheon of characters, probably because of the slightly snarky attitude he exhibited during his heroic feats. Plus, Justin thought the armor was cool as shit, so there was that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps running, then a toilet bowl lid being opened, practically slamming against the tank, followed up by retching.

_Uh oh._

Well. Either Justin was paying for gorging himself last night, or his mother was right.

"Better go check on shithead," he sighed to himself as he trotted up the stairs and heard the toilet flushing.

The door to the bathroom was open, and Justin sat on the floor next to the commode, holding his stomach, He was sweaty and pale, and a soft moan of pain punctuated his heavy breathing. Clay frowned when he saw the state his brother was in, and immediately felt bad that he had teased him earlier.

"Aw man...you really are sick, huh?"

Justin nodded and turned back to the bowl, dry heaving a little.

Clay crouched down next to him and rubbed his back. "Sorry, bro. Dry heaves are the worst. Remember when I had the stomach flu?"

Justin tensed up and grabbed his stomach again. "Fuck this hurts..."

"It's the cramps. Once you get everything up and out you'll feel a lot better."

Sitting back up, Justin shook his head. "Don't think it's just cramps..."

"Huh. Maybe you've got food poisoning or something."

"Then why aren't you sick? God this fucking sucks...if you loved me, you'd shoot me and put me out of my misery."

"I didn't eat a frozen pizza last night. Maybe you under cooked it, I dunno. And while I do love you, and you've tempted me a few times, I'm not about to shoot you. C'mon...let's get you into bed."

Justin complied as Clay helped him up and walked him out of the bathroom. "Can I lay on your couch?" he asked weakly, hunching over a little. "Please?"

Clay turned them in the opposite direction, back towards his room. "Of course you can." In addition to crashing on the couch after a late night out with friends or a double date, Justin would occasionally choose to sleep in Clay's room if he noticed that his brother was having a bad day due to PTSD related issues, or if he himself had trouble sleeping. When that was the case, just being in that room and on that couch had an immediate calming effect and he nodded off quickly. Clay never seemed to mind, and actually liked it when Justin was there rather than just down the hall.

"Okay, bro...here we go." Clay helped Justin lay down and then grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch, using it to cover and tuck him in a little. "Get some sleep, you'll feel better. Mom left me a short list of errands to run and it shouldn't take long at all...we can watch Iron Man when I get back, okay?"

Justin nodded with a wince of pain.

"I'll get some ginger ale on the way home. You need anything, text me. Yeah? I won't be gone too long." He put his hand on Justin's hot face gently and rubbed his thumb over his cheek.

Justin sighed and pressed into the cool hand on his skin. "Clay. If I die..."

"What?" Clay laughed.

"Shut up and listen...if I'm dying...I'm really sorry I treated you like shit. Before. And I'm really, really glad we got to be brothers. I love you, man."

Humoring him, Clay knelt next to the couch. "I forgive you, shithead. And I'm glad we're brothers and I love you, too. I'm so going to remind you of this when your fever breaks." Smiling, he kissed the side of Justin's head before standing back up. "I'll be right back. Oh...here." He walked to the desk and brought the small black garbage can over. "Just lean over if you need to, I'll clean it up. Get some sleep."

 

**********

 

_Why did you leave him alone?_

He'll be fine.

_You sure about that? He seemed really sick._

Justin acts like it's the end of the world when he stubs his toe. Remember when he got a foot cramp? He thought it was going to have to be amputated.

_Yeah, okay....so that was really fucking funny. But still..._

I just gotta do a couple things for mom, it'll be all right. I'm even gonna grab this weeks comics and let him have at them first.

_I'd make it a quick trip if I were you...._

Yeah, yeah.

 

**********

 

As Clay was dropping off some dry cleaning, the last item on his checklist, Justin was napping.

Or, trying to.

Waves of pain continued to radiate across his stomach and lower back, and they were now increasing in frequency and intensity.

"Shit," he muttered through clenched teeth.

Deciding that some kind of pain killer - Advil, Tylenol, something - was desperately needed now, he carefully sat up and got to his feet. The worst pain yet hit him as he did so, and he cried out, hunching over and grabbing the source of the agony. "Fuck fuck fuck!" The last time he hurt this badly was due to the withdrawal symptoms he experienced during the "do it yourself at home" version of detox that Clay had arranged. Those were bad. This? This was a whole new level of pain.

"GodDAMMIT!"

Slowly, he made his way over to the desk, where Clay had put his phone. He opened it and sent a text:

 **Shithead:** _help please help_

While waiting for a reply...the room started to spin. And the pain suddenly became worse.

"Oh fuck me..." Justin managed to say before passing out and collapsing on the floor.

 

**********

 

Humming to himself again, Clay ran through the list of things in his head that his mother had asked him to do, and mentally checked each one off. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, plenty of time to keep Justin company before work.

Getting in the Prius, he picked up the bag of comics from the passenger seat and peeked at the titles and covers, anticipating what was going to happen in the latest issues of "Killer Alien Robots" and "Spider Man." Those thoughts were interrupted by his phone buzzing.

 **Shithead:** _help please help_

Clay narrowed his eyes.

 **Dumbass:** _I'm about to come home...what's wrong?_

A minute went by with no response back from Justin. Then another.

 **Dumbass:** _Hey, are you okay? What's going on?_

Again, no reply.

 **Dumbass:** _Justin???_

Pressing on Justin's name, he tried calling instead as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

No answer.

"Shit!"

Clay tossed the phone onto the set next to him, and sped home, thankfully avoiding a few red lights along the way and police, who would probably not take too kindly to his going over the speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic. Screeching to a halt in front of his house, he sprinted up the walk and the porch, unlocked the front door, and went in.

"Justin!"

No answer.

Clay ran up the stairs, skipping every other one, and into his room.

"JUSTIN!"

Clay was instantly at his brother's side, dropping his phone and kneeling on the floor next to him. "Justin! Justin, wake up!" He carefully rolled him onto his back, which revived him, and brought back the pain.

"Hurts," he moaned, grabbing his stomach again.

"Jesus, you're burning up!"

"Hurts...please...help..."

"Okay...okay...it's gonna be all right, I'm gonna get help." Hands shaking he picked his phone back up and dialed 911 and was connected quickly. "Yes, it's my brother...we need help...he's got really bad stomach pain and a fever, and I found him passed out..." he told the operator.

Justin curled into the fetal position, rolling away some from Clay, arms wrapped around his lower torso.

"...right, the front door is open, just have them come inside, we're upstairs! Please hurry! Okay...thank you!" Clay had finished giving their address and hung up, dropping the phone again as he came over to Justin, who was now crying softly.

"Hey...hey, it's going to be okay...help is coming...you're gonna be okay." Gently, he scooped Justin over and up, holding him so that his back was against his chest.

"I'm sorry..." Justin managed to choke out.

"Hey...hey, you don't have anything to be sorry for, come on. I'm the one who should be sorry, I should've stayed here...it's okay! I'm here now."

"Hurts so bad...make it stop...please, Clay...."

Worry and panic washed over Clay's face. Were it not for the adrenalin running through him, he was almost certain his PTSD would have kicked in by now. As it was the only sign of distress he exhibited was his shaking hands. From outside, sirens could be heard in the distance, getting closer.

"Help is almost here, okay? Justin?"

Justin had passed out again.

"Big bro...Justin? C'mon man, wake up...please wake up...."

Now it was Clay's turn to start to cry.

 

_  
_

_To be continued.....  
_

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Justin is hospitalized, and Clay is freaking out. But during this freakout, he realizes how lucky he is to have a brother. Isn't this sort of how Maze started? It's déjà vu all over again....

 

Over the last several months, there had been quite a few things in the life of Clay Jensen that had frightened him. The hallucinations of Hannah Baker were startling to say the least, but those had finally stopped after her funeral. Tyler Downs almost shooting up a dance was another - how he managed to talk him down, he still didn't quite know. Then, most recently, was the attack by Montgomery de la Cruz in the hallway of Liberty High, and the associated concussion and PTSD diagnosis. There were nightmares, panic attacks (minor or major), and he occasionally was still startled by a sudden loud noise to the point where it would trigger an adverse reaction. All that seemed to pale in comparison to what was happening in his bedroom right now.

His brother, his brand new adopted brother, had been complaining of stomach pain all morning and had been running a slight temperature. What Clay and his parents had mistakenly chalked up to a stomach virus or food poisoning, possibly even overeating the night before, was now evidently something far more serious. Justin had passed out, and his fever was now much higher.

Something was horribly, inexplicably, wrong. And Clay was very, very scared.

He had always wanted a brother, someone to share secrets with and bond with and ease some of the loneliness he sometimes felt growing up. It took seventeen, almost eighteen, years, but he finally got his wish. There was a point in time, and not that long ago, that the very suggestion of Justin Foley becoming his brother would have been beyond ludicrous. Unimaginable. Justin Foley? The same Justin Foley that at one point had helped spread the rumor and joke that Clay was actually gay? The same Justin Foley that could have any girl he wanted, and did with regularity? Justin Foley, who had unintentionally humiliated Hannah Baker? Had suggested that Clay be killed? Had threatened Clay? Was at one point homeless and on the streets? A drug addict?

_That_ Justin Foley?

That Justin Foley - now, Justin _Jensen -_ indeed. The most unlikely of friendships and bonds had been forged between them, and while Clay was older by a few months, there was that part of him that wanted, needed, an older brother. Justin Michael Foley-Jensen (he rarely hyphenated it unless he absolutely had to - it was a formality more than anything else, for paperwork and the like, he was a Jensen through and through as far as he was concerned) accepted that role and responsibility, unselfishly and gladly.

And now he was unconscious.

Clay rocked back and forth as he held his brother in his arms, close against his chest, crying softly.

"Please wake up Justin...c'mon, please, _PLEASE_ wake up...."

Justin inhaled sharply. "Stop..moving me...or..I'm gonna puke..." he said weakly.

Clay closed his eyes and pressed his lips against the top of his brother's head, into the sweaty curls, as the sound of a siren got closer and wailed to a stop in front of their house. "Please...please stay awake...don't leave me..."

From downstairs, they heard the front door open and someone knocking on it, followed by a a familiar and friendly voice.

"Matt? Lainie? You in here? Clay?"

Clay raised his head. "Deputy Standall! Upstairs!"

Bill Standall ran up the stairs and found the Jensen brothers in the middle of the room on the floor. Tilting his head to his left, he keyed the walkie talkie on his shoulder. "This is 22 on the medical call...notify fire rescue to keep rolling in...22 out."

"10-4 D22, fire rescue ETA three minutes."

"Hey boys," he knelt next to Clay and placed his hand on Justin's forehead, then two fingers against his carotid artery. He frowned after taking Justin's pulse. "Not feeling so great, huh sport?"

Justin simply moaned and winced in reply, hunching over again while in Clay's arms.

"He...his stomach had been hurting all day...and it's gotten worse. He passed out a couple times. This is all my fault, I had to go do some things for mom, I should've just stayed here!" Clay explained.

"Okay, take it easy...just stay calm, Clay. Let's lay him down."

Gently, they lay Justin flat on his back, as he continued to moan and keep his hands on his lower right side. "Fucking shit...sorry Deputy..."

"It's fine, Justin, swear away. Just take it easy...take some deep breaths. That's it, nice and slow."

Two more sets of sirens from out front indicated that more help had arrived, and two paramedics entered the house and came upstairs after Bill called out to them, and the fire captain from the engine company followed.

"Hi Johnny...Roy. Seventeen year old, friend of my son. Pretty high fever, rapid pulse, bad pain in his lower right gut. Passed out twice." Deputy Standall explained as he got to his feet. "Come on Clay, let them work, okay?"

"What's his name?" the sandy haired paramedic asked.

"Justin. Justin Jensen." Clay answered as he stood and walked to the side of the room next to Bill.

"Okay...hi Justin, I'm Roy DeSoto, that's my partner Johnny Gage. We're going to take good care of you, okay? Let's get your blood pressure and then take your temperature."

Clay watched the paramedics work. The dark haired one, introduced as Johnny, had put on a headset and keyed a portable phone. "County General, this is Rescue 51...we have a seventeen year old male, sharp consistent pain in the lower right quadrant, two syncopal episodes...stand by for vitals. Is he on any medication?" he turned towards and asked Clay.  


"No. No, wait! Methodone."

Johnny nodded and made some notes on an iPad. 

"Did you call your parents?" Bill turned to Clay and asked.

"Not yet...mom is in court today...dad...dad is teaching summer class right now."

"Okay, let's call your father once we get moving."

The two paramedics worked, relaying vital signs to the hospital. Justin's pulse was elevated, as was his blood pressure, and he had a temperature of 101.8. Johnny repeated instructions from the doctor. "10-4 County, IV with Ringers, transport immediately. ETA is less than ten. 51 out." The captain nodded when Johnny turned to him and brought up his walkie talkie. "Engine 51, bring up the stretcher."

"I want to ride with him...in the ambulance," Clay said.

"Now, son...we can't let you do that. Why don't you ride with the Deputy or follow us? That's your car outside?" Captain Stanley explained.

"No!" Clay protested. "I'm _not_ leaving my brother alone! Deputy Standall, please?"

Bill Standall sighed and looked at the Captain as two more firefighters brought a stretcher into the room. "Hank...can I call in a favor? Let the kid ride, I'll explain why outside. Yeah?"

Hank Stanley looked at the paramedics who nodded their assent. "All right, but make sure you hold on tight, it could be a bumpy ride. Let's go outside."  


 

**********

 

Clay had locked the front door and was running over to the ambulance as Justin was being lifted inside, talking to Matt on his phone as he did so.

"I don't know, but they want to get him there right away...right, County General. I'm riding with him. Okay, please hurry, dad!"

As he was about to get in the back himself, Deputy Standall placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay out of their way. Okay? I'm going to follow you and I'll see you at the hospital."

Clay nodded and climbed in as Bill keyed his walkie again as he walked to his car. "22 to main, I'm following Rescue 51 to County General..."

One of the firefighters closed the doors of the ambulance and slapped them, indicating they were secure, and less than a minute later it pulled away, siren turning back on as it went down the street. 

"What...what's wrong with my brother?"

Justin turned his head slowly and looked at Clay. "See? I told you....I was dying...."

Johnny chuckled. "Wellll....we're going to try and prevent that. Just take it easy now."

"Don't say that, Justin!"

"It could be a lot of things," Johnny explained as he was about to take Justin's blood pressure again. "Ulcer, gallbladder, appendix. They'll find out and get it fixed, don't worry."

Clay nodded and impulsively reached over and took Justin's hand in his own, squeezing it gently and rubbing his thumb over it.

 

**********

 

Where are you? You usually show up at times like this!

_Not much I can do here...._

WHAT?!

_Clay, let the medics do their thing, then the doctors.Trust them.  
_

Oh, come on!! This is scary! He's hurting! I...I don't want to see him hurting like this!

_I know...just try and stay calm. For him as much for you._

That's it? That's your sage wisdom??

_Clay..._

You big douchebag!! Fine, I'll do this myself!!

_Did...did you just call me a big douchebag?_

 

**********

 

Clay leaned over and spoke quietly to Justin.

"Hey...we still need to watch Iron Man you know."

Justin grimaced and nodded.

"You know what Tony Stark would do if this was him?"

Justin shook his head.

"He'd kick the ass of whatever this was, then get better, then be awesome again. Just like you're gonna do. Okay?"

Justin squeezed Clay's hand and nodded, through the pain and the tears.

"It's okay, JJ. You're gonna be okay...hang in there..."

 

**********

 

"Okay, Justin...I'm going to take an ultrasound of your stomach now. The gel might be a little cold."

An attending physician in the emergency room carefully spread the gel on Justin's lower stomach and ran the wand over it, as Clay and Deputy Standall stood off to the side and watched. Technically, Clay wasn't even supposed to be in the room, but Bill Standall had once more called in a past favor. As long as they stayed out of the way and didn't interrupt, fine, they were told, as Justin's shirt was pulled up and off of him.

"Hmmm...oh boy. Okay, people, we have a really hot appy here. Start a bolus of Ringers and notify surgery, we're getting him upstairs right now."

"Surgery? What?" Clay panicked, looking back and forth from Justin to the doctor to Bill. "What...what's going on?"

"Justin," the doctor explained as he wiped off the gel, "your appendix is enlarged and inflamed, it needs to come out right away before it ruptures."

"We should go to the waiting room," Bill said, putting a hand on Clay's shoulder.

"No...no, wait! Please! Justin?"

Justin had been administered a low dosage of morphine for the pain, and was able to speak a little more strongly. "Doc...let me talk to my brother first. Real quick. Okay?"

The doctor frowned but nodded. "All right...but make it fast," he said, turning to Clay. "We need to get him to surgery as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Clay came next to Justin, making sure not to step on anything or pull out any tubes or wires. "Justin..."

Justin nodded at him. "Yeah. I know. See? Told ya I was almost dying."

"Shut up, shithead."

"Hey...come here."

Clay leaned down as Justin carefully lifted his head, and kissed Clay's cheek. "Make sure mom and dad don't freak out too much. I'll see you in a little while. I love you, dumbass."

Clay's lower lip quivered. "I love you too, JJ."

Justin smiled. "I like when you call me thhhaaaatttt owwwww!" The heart monitor indicated that Justin's pulse was increasing again.

"Okay, that's it, we're going," the doctor almost shouted, taking charge again.

Justin was wheeled out of the treatment room and to a waiting elevator quickly, as Bill guided Clay to the waiting area. As they came in, Matt Jensen was running through the entrance.

"Clay!"

"Dad..." Clay came over and fell into his father's arms, surprising him with the embrace.

"Matt, Justin was just taken to surgery. They need to take out his appendix right away," Bill explained.

Matt nodded as Clay started to sob in his arms.

"It's all right, son," Matt kissed the top of Clay's head. "It's going to be all right..."

 

**********

 

Texts and phone calls were made, and once again, the "deranged over-protective Scooby Gang" had assembled in the waiting room of the hospital, just as they had a few months earlier to await news on Clay. Only Ryan and Courtney were missing, as each were vacationing with their families, but they had been texted and informed as to what was going on. Jess was on her way. Lainie had been notified, and Dennis took over as lead attorney in the trial she was at, so she was able to leave court and be there for her sons.

Clay sat in between Sheri and his mother, bouncing his leg and staring at the doorway to where someone - a nurse, a doctor, somebody - would eventually come through with news about Justin.

"You called in to work, right?" Lainie asked.

"Uh huh." Clay's leg continued to bounce.

"Honey. It's going to be all right. Okay?"

"Uh huh."

"Hey...how about we get you something to eat. It's way past lunch," Sheri suggested.

"Not hungry."

Tony looked at Zach. They nodded at one another and got up from their chairs to walk over to Clay.

"Clay. Come on, let's go get you a sandwich or something," Tony said.

Zach nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. You need to eat."

"They're not wrong, Clay," Alex said from the couch to Clay's right. "Get something to eat, we'll come get you right away if we hear anything."

"Go on, dude." Cyrus agreed.

"Handsome guy...come on, let's go. We won't be gone too long. Okay?" Sheri rubbed Clay's back up and down.

"God, why is this taking so long!"

"Clay...it's going to be fine. Go on." Matt said.

Sighing, Clay stood up, and taking Sheri's hand, walked with his friends to the cafeteria. Alex and Cyrus stayed behind with his parents.

"People get their appendix removed all the time, Clay. He's going to be all right," Tony encouraged. "Why don't you find a place to sit, I'll get you something. Turkey with barely any mayo?"

Clay nodded.

"Okay. Remember. First we eat, then everything else."

As Tony went to get the food, Clay sat at a round table and leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and sighed.

"Did I ever tell you guys that I hated being an only child?"

Zach looked at Sheri. "No..."

Clay shook his head as he opened his eyes. "There were complications when I was born. Mom had to have emergency surgery right after...and that was that. No more kids." He was looking not so much at his girlfriend and friend as he was looking through them. "I remember being...I guess like six or seven years old. Mom and dad had to explain to me why I couldn't ask Santa for a little brother. Man...I cried for hours. Then, I sucked at making friends. It was just me. Always just me..." his voice trailed off and he bit his lower lip before continuing. "It got better, a little. Jeff. Jeff helped me come out of my shell. Then Tony, he's been there. Hannah. God, I miss her. Jeff, too. Then, all of a sudden, there's Justin. You know, when mom and dad suggested we adopt him, I thought my parents had lost their minds. Justin. Of all people. And then they left it up to me. And I mean, what the fuck, right? The kid needed a real family." He laughed a little before continuing. "You know what's funny?"

Zach and Sheri shook their heads.

"I thought he was such a pain in the ass at first, because he was so...fucking helpless. Like...he was afraid of touching stuff or getting food when he wanted it, or whatever. He didn't know _how._ This past Mother's Day and Father's Day....you'd swear it was like his first Christmas or something, how excited he was. I took so much for granted...I never knew how lucky I was. And so here's this kid in my life now, and he's been so good to me, especially after I got the concussion. I finally got my brother." Clay's lip was quivering now. "Seeing him like that today...how bad he was hurting...guys, I don't know what I'd do without him if something happened to him now. After all this time being by myself, he's in my life for, what, five, six months....and I can't imagine him _not_ being in it."

Zach nodded. "Welcome to being a brother, dude. I feel the same way about May. It's intense."

"Same for me and my brothers," Tony sat down next to Clay, having heard the last part of what he had said, and placed a sandwich and a bottle of water in front of his friend. "He's going to be all right. And honestly, Clay, if you didn't feel like this about Justin, I think we'd all be a little worried about you."

Clay laughed to himself again. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"I keep saying you two are too cute together. And it's true." Sheri smiled. "You each gave each other this amazing gift."

"She's right," Zach agreed.

"Eat your sandwich, Clay."

"Yes, Yoda."

 

**********

 

As they came back to the waiting room, Clay greeted Jess with a hug and a smile, then turned to his parents.

"Mom. Dad. I...never thanked you."

"For what, Clay?" Lainie asked, a little confused.

Clay sighed. "For giving me a brother after all."

"Oh...honey..." Lainie got to her feet and brought him in for a hug. "That has to be the sweetest thing you've ever said....you're going to make me cry." Matt stood as well and came over to join in the hug.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jensen?" the surgeon had entered the waiting area at last. The rest of the Gang gathered round to hear the news.

"Justin is in recovery. The surgery took a little longer than we anticipated because the appendix ruptured right as we got him on the table. So, we had to go with an open appendectomy rather than laparoscopy, but we got it just in time. He's going to be just fine, I don't anticipate any complications."

Clay closed his eyes and smiled in relief.

"He'll be here for about two days, then you can take him home."

"When can we see him?" Clay asked.

"He should be waking up any time now, so a few of you at a time....go on up. He'll probably be a little out of it, but that's nothing to worry about."

 

**********

 

"Mommy! Hi mommy!" Justin had a goofy smile on his face as Lainie, Matt, Clay and Jess entered his room. 

"Hi, sweetheart...how're you feeling?"

"Oh, I feel _gooooood_! Hiya pop!"

Jess pulled out her phone and whispered to Clay. "Oh, we are so filming this...."

"Hi kiddo," Matt ruffled Justin's hair, causing him to giggle. "Looks like you're going to be here for a couple days, but your surgery went really well."

Justin looked confused. "I had surgery?"

"You did. They took out your appendix."

"Can I have it back?"

"No, honey," Lainie laughed. "That's....not how it works."

"Oh. Okay. Jess! Jessica! Hi!"

"Hi, Justin."

"Oh my God, you are _so_ hot baby, you know that? Some lady was here before but she wasn't as hot as you! She took my temperature and stuff!"

"Well....thank you, Justin."

Clay came over next to Justin's bed. "Hi, bro."

"CLAY! Hey, buddy!"

"Dude...you are high af right now."

"Oh my God, _I know_! Hey...hey, Clay! Did you hear?"

"What's that?"

"They took out my 'pendix! I didn't know I had a book in me..."

"Uh...sure, Justin."

"Hey! Hey, Clay?"

"What's up, bro."

"Y'know what I really, really love?"

"No, what?"

"Chicken wings! Dude, I looooooove chicken wings. Like, almost as much as I love you you guys! I'm hungry...."

"Of course you'd be thinking about food..."

Justin looked concerned all of a sudden. "Clay?"

"Yes, Justin."

"Why is there...I think there's a tube thing in my pee pee...."

 

**********

 

Well. Alls well that ends well.

_......._

What?

_......._

Oh, come on. You can't be mad at me. Look, I was upset.

_You called me a big douchebag._

Okay. I'm sorry. I really was upset, though. I didn't mean to call you that. I apologize.

_That's better._

Only I would have a psyche that gets its feelings hurt...

 

**********

 

**11:13 pm**

 

Justin stirred and yawned, waking up. Next to him, Clay looked up from his phone.

"Hey bro. How're you feeling?"

"Mmmm...better. My gut is a little tender, but I feel okay."

"You really had me worried today." Clay stood up and came over next to the bed. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier....I feel really bad about that."

"It's okay, man. Where is everyone?"

"Mom and dad went home, so did the Gang. They'll be back first thing in the morning."

"You're...staying with me?"

Clay nodded. "Of course I am. You did for me, remember? Just don't throw a box of Kleenex at me in the middle of the night like I did to you."

Justin laughed and winced a little. "You remember that, huh?"

"Mhmm. Hey. I'm really, really happy you're going to be all right. I don't know what I'd do if you...that is, if you didn't make...I guess what I'm trying to say..."

"I love you too, Clay."

Clay did his half-smile. "Love you, JJ. Hey...think you're okay to scoot over just a little?"

"I think I can. Why?"

Clay turned around and picked up a paper bag, and pulled out the comic books he had purchased earlier that morning. "I had Tony run me home so I could get the car, and forgot I got these. Which one do you want first?"

"Dude, Spider Man, of course."

Carefully, Clay got on the bed next to his brother and handed that one to him, while he had "Killer Alien Robots." As Justin opened the cover, Clay turned his head and leaned over to kiss the top of Justin's head. It probably wasn't a good idea to keep him up too late, and he'd have to go back to the chair to sleep.

But for now, there were comics to be read. And a brother to keep company.

 

 

 

 

_I cannot live, I can't breathe_  
_Unless you do this with me._

\- from "The Adventure," by Angels and Airwaves

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so there we have it, Mazers! I hope you enjoyed this one....especially you, Bitterblue33! <3
> 
> Couple of notes and errata:  
> I arbitrarily decided that Justin's middle name is Michael. I think it fits nicely, no? Now I gotta find one for Clay....  
> If you were like me and grew up back in the....well, I won't tell you when....then you recognize who Roy, Johnny, and Hank are. Yes, I've managed to place the characters from "Emergency!" in my little corner of the AU, just because. I guess I have a thing for tv show crossovers, so why not!  
> Lots of dialogue here that references "A Maze of Moments - Book One" and the events therein, plus some clues as to future stories to fill in gaps here and there. Forgot to mention in the previous chapter that our heroes have found part time jobs for the summer, and Clay is back at the movie theater.
> 
> As always, I appreciate your kudos and comments and feedback! Hey, we have the exciting conclusion to Book One of Maze, called "Dance Into the Light" coming up! So stay tuned, Clay and Justin will return then! See you over there, Mazers!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Mazers!
> 
> Here's another one-shot (well, in two chapters, so...a two-shot?) in the Maze universe, taking place after our main story. As I noted up above, this is for Bitterblue33 most especially!
> 
> As always, your feedback and kudos and comments mean the world to me! I look forward to hearing what you think of this so far. 
> 
> What's wrong with Justin?? Stay tuned for part two and find out! See you then!


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